Here's what Holloway had to say about athletics in his speech today to the University Senate:
We also celebrate another kind of talent at Rutgers: our student athletes. While it may be uncommon for us to think of Athletics within the context of a beloved community, I want to discuss it here.
Over the last year, our players—our students—represented us in the best possible ways on the national stage on issues of racial reckoning, on the changing nature of college sports, and on what it means to be a scholar-athlete. These students are among our most visible representatives and are among our finest activists. Whether one is a fan or not, athletics is how most Americans know about the schools we aspire to call our peers, and it is how people are introduced to us. Major college athletics—and here I am talking specifically about our Division I program in New Brunswick, responsible for 2.8% of our university budget—is a high risk and reward activity and investment. When things are properly aligned and functioning—competitive teams, coaches who are invested in their players' off-the-field futures, a pursuit of excellence that does not take shortcuts—athletics can amplify a university's profile in the best ways. When things are not going well—rampant abuses of power, coaches who do not connect to the academic enterprise—athletics can cast a powerfully negative light on a university. Since I arrived, I have spent a lot of time looking at the character of the Scarlet Knights athletics program, and I am proud of what I see. I am proud of the students who model resilience and character, I am proud of the coaches who demonstrate a respect for their players and who are firm with them when they do not live up to our standards, and I am proud of the administration of the program and its commitment to integrity.
So, yes, when I look at the athletics program, I see an embodiment of the beloved community. It is a program unafraid of doing hard work on and off the field, and it is able to withstand external scrutiny and maintain a focus on its mission. Our Scarlet Knights demonstrate regularly that Rutgers is able to compete in the classroom and on the field in an elite athletics conference in which thirteen of its schools are in the Association of American Universities—the top sixty-five universities in North America. I know that my support of athletics will be looked at with disdain by those who think that we should not be part of the Big Ten. For those who feel that way, I wish I could change your mind, but I suspect I can't. What I can say is that Rutgers made the right decision joining the Big Ten and we're here to stay. And this is not just about sports; we accrue enormous academic benefits through our membership in Big Ten Academic Alliance and it would be irresponsible to walk away from those collaborations.
Admittedly, athletics is expensive, but I have looked closely at athletics' budget, its operating practices, and its financial models. Despite recent assertions, the athletics budget has been managed appropriately and has had consistently clean audits. Having said all of that, I've gone on record stating that the current situation in athletics is unsustainable. And it is. But this is not just a Rutgers story, it is a national story, and it is past time that we find a way to restore a measure of balance into the equation. At Rutgers, we will continue to fight to be competitive, we will not take shortcuts, and we will build a financial model that more accurately captures and explains the capital investment in athletics, the financial aid practices, and the revenue streams associated with certain sports. In the meantime, I will cheer on our athletes, joining tens of thousands of fans at SHI stadium, thousands of fans at Yurcak Field and other venues around campus, and soon enough, thousands more at the RAC.
We also celebrate another kind of talent at Rutgers: our student athletes. While it may be uncommon for us to think of Athletics within the context of a beloved community, I want to discuss it here.
Over the last year, our players—our students—represented us in the best possible ways on the national stage on issues of racial reckoning, on the changing nature of college sports, and on what it means to be a scholar-athlete. These students are among our most visible representatives and are among our finest activists. Whether one is a fan or not, athletics is how most Americans know about the schools we aspire to call our peers, and it is how people are introduced to us. Major college athletics—and here I am talking specifically about our Division I program in New Brunswick, responsible for 2.8% of our university budget—is a high risk and reward activity and investment. When things are properly aligned and functioning—competitive teams, coaches who are invested in their players' off-the-field futures, a pursuit of excellence that does not take shortcuts—athletics can amplify a university's profile in the best ways. When things are not going well—rampant abuses of power, coaches who do not connect to the academic enterprise—athletics can cast a powerfully negative light on a university. Since I arrived, I have spent a lot of time looking at the character of the Scarlet Knights athletics program, and I am proud of what I see. I am proud of the students who model resilience and character, I am proud of the coaches who demonstrate a respect for their players and who are firm with them when they do not live up to our standards, and I am proud of the administration of the program and its commitment to integrity.
So, yes, when I look at the athletics program, I see an embodiment of the beloved community. It is a program unafraid of doing hard work on and off the field, and it is able to withstand external scrutiny and maintain a focus on its mission. Our Scarlet Knights demonstrate regularly that Rutgers is able to compete in the classroom and on the field in an elite athletics conference in which thirteen of its schools are in the Association of American Universities—the top sixty-five universities in North America. I know that my support of athletics will be looked at with disdain by those who think that we should not be part of the Big Ten. For those who feel that way, I wish I could change your mind, but I suspect I can't. What I can say is that Rutgers made the right decision joining the Big Ten and we're here to stay. And this is not just about sports; we accrue enormous academic benefits through our membership in Big Ten Academic Alliance and it would be irresponsible to walk away from those collaborations.
Admittedly, athletics is expensive, but I have looked closely at athletics' budget, its operating practices, and its financial models. Despite recent assertions, the athletics budget has been managed appropriately and has had consistently clean audits. Having said all of that, I've gone on record stating that the current situation in athletics is unsustainable. And it is. But this is not just a Rutgers story, it is a national story, and it is past time that we find a way to restore a measure of balance into the equation. At Rutgers, we will continue to fight to be competitive, we will not take shortcuts, and we will build a financial model that more accurately captures and explains the capital investment in athletics, the financial aid practices, and the revenue streams associated with certain sports. In the meantime, I will cheer on our athletes, joining tens of thousands of fans at SHI stadium, thousands of fans at Yurcak Field and other venues around campus, and soon enough, thousands more at the RAC.
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